The Vientiane Natural Resources and Environment Department is creating a website that will enable people to check the progress of requests for document approval, especially changes to land titles.

The website will be open to the public on October 1, after the team who will operate it finished a week’s training course on Friday.

A department official, Mr Somchit Chanthavong, told Vientiane Times the website would inform people whether their application for a land title or a change to a land title had been approved so they didn’t have to directly contact department staff every day.

This should have the desired effect of ensuring the department is not crowded with people wanting information about their application, as is the case at present.

Currently, 100 to 200 people visit the office every day to change a land title. They usually come to put their name on a land title certificate after having bought land from someone else. On some days almost 400 people show up at the department.

Before the website opens for public use in October, the department opened its own website on Friday.

Thi s website contains a lot of information that helps individuals and business operators to understand more about land issues, especially the law and various decrees relating to land ownership and transfer.

Some department officials say people in Vientiane are still not familiar with the rules concerning land, but the department’s website will make everything clear.

Mr Somchit said if people have questions to ask they won’t need to come to the department in person but can submit their questions to staff through the website and receive an immediate answer.

In the past, department officials have visited various areas of Vientiane to distribute information sheets on land ownership, as these days the sale and purchase of land is surging and people need to be better informed about what the process involves.

Land is a popular commodity because it is a good investment and will normally return a higher price on sale at some point in the future.